Record Details

Verner Cavalry Sketch Board, by Elliott Brothers, London, c.1887

Inventory Number:

14701

Object Type:

Accession Number:

2015-xx

Brief Description:

An ingeniously designed small drawing board with compass, surveying protractor/clinometer, and scales, designed to be strapped to the wrist or forearm and used one-handed on horseback or in the field by military surveyors.Captain (later Colonel, later still Sir) Willoughby Verner (1852-1922) was Professor of Military Topography at Sandhurst. He is best known for his pattern of prismatic compass which was used extensively by the British Army in both World Wars; he also invented a balloon specifically for aerial photography (the Museum has some of the pioneering photographs taken with it). His version of the cavalry sketch board was patented in 1887.